On the last of a six-day bus tour through north and central Florida, Republican Connie Mack's refrain has been: "Where's Bill?"

"I'm not sure he's campaigning -- other than running negative ads trying to smear my character,'' Mack told about 20 supporters at the Donut Hole cafe in Destin on Thursday. "He doesn't have anything to offer the people of Florida."

For an incumbent U.S. senator seeking re-election for the third time in a crucial swing state, the Democrat has kept a pretty low profile. His poll numbers are up. His campaign had eight times as much money in the bank as his competitor after the last reporting period. It's a strategy that's working.

Nelson's campaign has primarily featured television ads attacking Mack for his personal financial woes, his divorce, his hard-partying youth and attendance record in Congress. After the last reporting period on July 25, he had $8.8 million left in the bank compared to Mack's $1.3 million.

Mack, by contrast, has had to rely on third party organizations to pay for his ads and he has spent the last week in 17 cities talking to modest-sized crowds.

"Stay tuned,'' Mack argues, saying his internal polls show the numbers shifting his direction. He predicts there will be "$25 to $30 million" spent on his campaign before it's over and points to a new influsion of third party attack ads against Nelson. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, he said, is spending $2 million on ads this week in Florida and American Crossroads, a Super PAC founded by Republican political strategist Karl Rove, announced it is spending $1.8 million here hitting Nelson's record on Medicare.

Mack also plans to campaign with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in Miami, The Villages, and Tampa on Monday.

As for where is Nelson, his campaign says he's been working and provided the highlights of his schedule this month:

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